The port officials and generals of Western Tianzhu were all scared out of their wits. In the face of the powerful force from the sea, they had lost the courage to resist. Moreover, things had not reached the point where they had to fight. The Tang dynasty only asked to dock at the port, not to occupy it. Therefore, since their strength was no match for the other side, why should they go to their deaths?
"The Tang dynasty's troops are too powerful. They destroyed the arrow towers we built at the port as soon as they attacked. We can't stop them with our troops. Let them enter the port!"
The generals were very clear about the strength of the troops under their command. They had no problem stopping the pirates, but in the face of the Tang dynasty's elite naval force, it was like trying to smash a rock with an egg. They had only heard that the Tang dynasty's troops were very powerful, but they did not believe it. But now, several strong and important arrow towers were destroyed in an instant. Moreover, the steam ships of the Tang dynasty were so huge and the roar of the steam was so shocking. They knew at a glance that they could not resist, or they would die.
"That's right. I've never seen such a big ship in my life. Also, our arrow towers are all made of solid stones, but they were destroyed in an instant. How many people were killed? We really can't fight this war. We can only let them enter the port. "
An official was also trembling with fear. As an official, he could still embezzle some money, but if he was killed by the cannons, there would be nothing left.
"Yes! Yes! Since we can't resist the attack of the Tang Army, we might as well agree to their request. "
Another official nodded in agreement.
"But if the Tang Army doesn't leave after entering the port and wants to occupy the port for themselves, how can we explain it to the king?"
The port official said worriedly.
"Yes! That's also a big problem! If they pretend to enter the port to rest and then take advantage of their military strength to occupy the port, we won't be able to explain it to the king. "
"That's true. But if we resist, our troops can't resist the attack of the Tang Army! In the end, the port will still be occupied! "
"Whether we let them in or not, we have to take a great risk. What should we do?"
The officials and generals at the port all panicked. No one dared to make a decision.
The commander was very angry. He paused and said, "I heard that the Tang Army has occupied a large area of land in the Lion Kingdom. They are really ambitious! Don't tell me they're also eyeing our port! What should we do if we can't beat him? "
"I heard that the Tang Dynasty army is very benevolent and righteous. They don't harm the people. Moreover, they help the people. The people in the occupied areas don't think about the Lion Kingdom anymore. They are all willing to be the people of the Tang Dynasty."
"If this is true, it will be troublesome. If the Tang Army wants to take over our port, and the people support it, it will be troublesome."
"Why don't we just join the Tang dynasty? We can't beat them anyway."
Everyone discussed animatedly with all kinds of thoughts.
The commander thought for a moment and said, "Stop arguing. Hurry up and order the Tang Army fleet to enter the port! Let's get ready to welcome them. "
In the face of absolute strength, the commander of the port completely softened. He thought about it again and again and felt that he could not bear the responsibility of starting a war with the Tang dynasty. Once the war started, the prosperous port in Western Tianzhu, which had been operated for a long time, would be ruined, and he would probably lose his life.
Moreover, the most important thing was that he still could not figure out the purpose of the Tang Army. The Tang Army's shelling soon stopped, so he did not dare to resist rashly.
The defensive facilities of this port were not bad. There were more than a dozen strong arrow towers, which were very effective in defending against the sea attacks of pirates. However, the arrow towers made of stone could not withstand the bombardment of cannons. Therefore, in the face of the sea attacks of the Tang dynasty, these primitive arrow towers were just decorations.
Ang Lee's order destroyed half of the arrow towers in the port. Moreover, it was the arrow tower in the most critical position. The arrow towers a little further away and some catapults were also within the shooting range. As long as they wanted to destroy them, they could attack at any time.
"Assistant Minister Li, there is no sign of the troops at the port being mobilized. It seems that they don't intend to resist. Should we negotiate with them again?"
His subordinate asked.
Ang Lee waved his hand and said, "No need. We have to give them some time to think! Let them think it through first. I believe they will make the right decision. "
Ang Lee did not take these weak Western Indian troops seriously at all. Even if the Tang dynasty did not have the new weapons invented by Ang Lee, their outdated cold weapons were enough to defeat the garrison of the port.
"Assistant Minister Li, the garrison of the port has sent a signal to allow us to enter the port."
His subordinate said.
Ang Lee observed the deployment characteristics of the garrison of the port with binoculars and nodded. "Pass down the order. All ships enter the port."
The steam gunships were in the front, followed by the ships and supply ships. They sailed into the port in a mighty manner.
The main officials and generals of the port all came to greet them warmly and put on a posture of apology.
"Distinguished guests, Western India welcomes your arrival."
The chief officer of the port bowed and greeted them.
Ang Lee looked at the relatively prosperous port and said, "Not bad! This port is very well run. There are many merchants and people here. "
The Western Indian officials were frightened when they heard this. Ang Lee valued this port so much. Could it be that he wanted to take it for himself? This was what they were most worried about.
Ang Lee naturally saw their worries and said, "You don't have to worry. The Tang Dynasty fleet will not stay here for too long. They will leave in a few days at most."
"Oh, if you have any needs, just tell us. We will definitely do it well."
The chief officer of the port hurriedly said.
Ang Lee looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late. We need to rest. If there's anything, we'll talk about it tomorrow! You should also go back and rest. Let's go! "
These few understated words confused the Western Indian officials and made them even more confused about what Ang Lee wanted to do.
"Assistant Minister Li, what do we need to do if we let them go back like this?"
His subordinates were also very confused.
Ang Lee said, "We've been drifting on the sea for so many days. Of course, we need to have a good rest. Half of the people will live on the ship, and the other half will live in tents on the beach."
"Yes, I understand."
Because the Western Indian soldiers at the port were not a threat at all, the army could directly camp on the beach. The open space here was the widest, which was very convenient for the army to camp.
Before dinner, Ang Lee summoned dozens of soldiers with good acting skills and asked them to dress up as merchants and go to various public places in the port to spread the sins of the pirates and point out the inaction of the Western Indian imperial court. In addition, they also had to contact the local merchants who had been robbed by the pirates and gradually strengthen the condemning team, so as to influence the local public opinion and occupy the commanding position of public opinion.
After dinner, Ang Lee and the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty all began to eat, while the Western Indian officials and generals lost their appetite. They did not know why the Tang Dynasty army entered the port and were very nervous.
"More than 10,000 soldiers of the Tang Dynasty entered the port just like that. Are they just passing by?"
"As far as the current situation is concerned, it seems that they are really passing by. You see, they didn't do anything. After they set up camp, they started to cook. Now they are already eating. I can smell the fragrance of the food from afar."
"Yes! More than 10,000 soldiers of the Tang Dynasty army are already eating. They don't look like they are here to fight. They really look like they are just passing by. "
"If they are really just passing by, that would be great. I'm afraid that they have some conspiracy. That would be troublesome."
"What should we do now? Are we going to eat too?"
"I'm not hungry! I don't want to eat. "
"I'm not hungry either!"
"If you're not hungry, then don't eat. I'm not hungry either."
The chief official said.
"This is such a big matter. We must tell the king. We can't hide it from him."
"Of course, but how should I say it? We are still not sure about the intentions of the Tang Dynasty army. "
"Just report it as it is. What else can we do?"
The chief official thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That makes sense. Then report it as it is. Go!"
I hurriedly wrote a letter and sent a team to deliver it as fast as possible.
During the night, the troops of the Tang Dynasty and the troops of Western India lived in peace. Both sides deliberately kept a large distance to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
During the night, the troops of the Tang Dynasty were active everywhere in the port, but they disguised themselves as merchants and contacted more merchants to criticize the pirates and the Western Indian Imperial Court.
However, the officials of Western India did not pay attention to these merchants, because in their view, it was normal for merchants to curse the pirates and complain about the inaction of the Western Indian Imperial Court when they were robbed by pirates. It was not worth making a fuss about. It would be strange if they did not say anything. In addition, they focused all their energy on observing the troops of the Tang Dynasty, because only the tens of thousands of troops of the Tang Dynasty could cause them pressure. They would not worry about these unarmed merchants.
In other words, these Western Indian officials were wrong from the beginning. All their energy was attracted by the troops of the Tang Dynasty, so they had no time to care about the public opinion of the people, which would inevitably lead to serious consequences.
"How was the situation last night?"
Ang Lee asked after breakfast.
"Everything was under control. They acted very well. Many merchants and people who were robbed by the pirates were filled with righteous indignation and full of complaints about the Western Indian Imperial Court."
The subordinate reported truthfully.
Li An smiled. He was very happy. After a pause, he said, "Very good, very good. Let this ferment for one more day and let more people at the port be dissatisfied with the Western Tianzhu Imperial Court. Then, we can carry out our plan."
"Yes, I understand."
The subordinate responded and continued to make preparations.
"Come on, bring the millstone here."
Ang Lee ordered.
"Alang, the millstone is on the ship. What are you going to do with it?"
Yun 'er asked casually.
Ang Lee chuckled and said, "It's too boring. Alang wants to grind soy milk by himself. Grind more. In addition to drinking it myself, I also want to give some to the Western Indian officials and let them taste the soy milk of the Tang Dynasty."
"Oh."
Yun 'er responded and personally led a few people to move the millstone.
Ang Lee had nothing to do, so he moved a stool, sat down, and slowly pushed the millstone. His movements were extremely elegant and not impatient at all. He had the temperament of a master.
Yun 'er was responsible for adding soybeans next to him, and a few servants were responsible for taking away the soy milk and replacing it with a new empty bucket.
Ang Lee was grinding soy milk on the beach, completely ignoring the gazes of others.
The officers and soldiers under his command had long been used to Ang Lee's behavior. However, the Western Indian officials were not used to it. They sent people to quietly monitor the situation of the Tang Dynasty army camp. After reporting it, these officials were very confused. They did not understand what Ang Lee was doing.
"The commander of the Tang Dynasty army is grinding soy milk. Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. It can't be wrong."
"This kind of rough work can be left to the subordinates. Why does he have to do it himself?"
"I don't believe it. I want to see it for myself."
The chief officer of the port nodded and said, "Let's go and pay a visit together. By the way, we can find out what they are going to do."
"Let's go together."
Everyone agreed to go and see what was going on.
From a distance, they saw Ang Lee, who was grinding soy milk. After hesitating for a moment, they slowly walked over.
"Assistant Minister Li, the Western Indian officials are asking for an audience."
The soldier on guard came forward to report.
Li An raised his eyes to take a look and said with a nod, "Quickly invite them over! Don't neglect them. "
"Everyone, please."
"Greetings to the distinguished person of the Tang Dynasty."
The Western Indian officials saluted respectfully.
Ang Lee smiled and ordered, "Come on, bring a few more stools over. Let everyone sit down and rest."
Soon, more than a dozen stools were brought over. However, none of the Western Indian officials dared to sit down. They seemed to feel comfortable standing.
"Sit down! You're welcome. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"There's no need. We'll just stand. We'll just stand."
The chief officer of the port replied with a smile.
"Well! Since you like to stand, then stand! Take a look. What do you think of my grinding? "
Li An smiled as he pointed at the soy milk that he had just ground and asked.
"It's good stuff. It has an intoxicating fragrance."
One of the Western Indian officials said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Well said, well said. This is called soy milk. Have you seen it before?"
"Yes, there's a restaurant on the street run by a businessman of the Tang Dynasty. They serve this kind of soy milk, but the taste is a little worse. It's not as good as the one made by Assistant Minister Li."
The chief officer of the port said.
"Oh, you know that the taste is good before you even drink it. Amazing!"
When Ang Lee said that, he naturally meant that their flattery skills were very good.
"Haha! I can tell from the smell that the soy milk made by Assistant Minister Li is better than the soy milk in the shops run by businessmen. No, it's much better. "
The chief officer of the port replied with a smile, full of flattery.
"Since you think that the soy milk made by me is good, take more back and slowly taste it."
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